by Randy Lander

NIGHTWING #66 "The Unusual Suspects" Recommended (7/10) DC Comics Writer: Chuck Dixon Pencils: Rick Burchett Inks: Rob Leigh Colors: Gregory Wright & Digital Chameleon Letters: Willie Schubert Editor: Michael Wright Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN Chuck Dixon has a reputation, mostly well-earned, for sort of blowing off crossover elements in his books and going on with his own storylines, and he has done that with some of his work on the "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" storyline. However, this issue of Nightwing, while not as essential to the storyline as elements in Batman, Gotham Knights and Detective, has some interesting exploration of the investigation, suggesting (and shooting down) several possible antagonists who might be behind a frame job. And with Rick Burchett guesting on artwork, the book likes as nice as it has since Greg Land left. One of the elements of this series that has always entertained me is the close relationship between Oracle and Nightwing, and that gets a nice workout in this issue. Seeing these two veteran crimefighters working together is always fun, especially when they both get to share the equivalent of workplace griping about their mysterious boss, Batman. While it's easy to see the loyalty and love that both of them feel for their mentor, there's also resentment from each of them that has been well-earned. Beyond the question of "how is he going to get out of it?" which is being explored in the other chapters of the crossover, the central question is "who did it, if Bruce didn't?" This issue gets into some of the possibilities, exploring some of the enemies that Batman or Bruce has made and no doubt helping to fuel fan speculation and theories, which is always a good thing in a crossover like this one. It was interesting to see the suspects raised and dismissed, given that they were some of the more prominent and likely enemies to have done it, and the result is that the mystery remains a mystery and the characters look smart for having thought of and investigated the obvious possibilities. Of course, while the story of "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" gets its fair share of screen time in this issue, that doesn't mean Nightwing is a guest star in his own book. The story of the trouble at Lockhaven, including the escape of another member of Nightwing's rogues' gallery, is given plenty of attention, and I was glad to see Orpheus show up in the book, rather than disappearing into limbo after his mini-series ended. Another controversial point to this book lately has been the choice of Trevor McCarthy as regular artist, and I was relieved to see Rick Burchett filling in on guest art. His pencils didn't look as finished as they usually do, but I don't think I've seen him work with inker Rob Leigh before either. However, the work is still quite strong, whether it's the very impressive shots of various Batman adversaries or the expressive work on the facial expressions of the characters, from Nightwing to Oracle to Mallory Moxon. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.